My World

By Beau Denton | February 1, 2012

How did you get into this job? I started washing dishes when I was 16, then I ended up on the floor. I liked interacting with the customers and meeting new people. And it’s easy money in Florida, so I worked my way up and ended up here at O’Leary’s... Read more »

How did you get into this job? I started washing dishes when I was 16, then I ended up on the floor. I liked interacting with the customers and meeting new people. And it’s easy money in Florida, so I worked my way up and ended up here at O’Leary’s tiki bar last July.

What’s the atmosphere like? It’s beachfront dining. We’ve got a deck where you can sit with your family, and the tiki bar is right on the water. You can view all the boats on the bay. I get to come to work and look at things that people send postcards for.

What kind of customers do you see? A little bit of everything. We’ve got our regulars—a lot of them work or live downtown and they come over after work. And we get a lot of people on vacation. We’re also one of the few places where you can sit at the bar with your dog, so a lot of our regulars are dog owners. Quite a few people live in their boats, and they come, too.

What’s the busiest time? Sunset is usually our biggest hit. Weekends are [busy]—we’ve got a reggae band on Friday nights, and Saturdays and Sundays we’ll get boaters or people walking around the park.

Your most popular drink? We sell a lot of rum. That’s the tropical drink, and you’re sitting in a tropical bar.